Journey into the Lives of Women, One Story at a Time

The Write Way

Researching A Novel. Really? I mean, it’s fiction. Don’t we make stuff up? No matter how much we think we know, all novelists worth their salt do tons of research. This week a novelist who follows Southern Exposure asked me to blog about researching a novel. I’m always delighted to help if I can. I…

When is just enough too much? Certain rituals develop when you change houses twice a year. Since our summers here in Western New York are short, one of the first things we do once we arrive in May is to plant our “garden.” Garden in this instance mostly means pots because our yard is in…

I live in a small housing community in Florida, ungated and maintenance free–which means someone else mows my lawn and trims my hedges. Whatever I choose for my yard must be easy to maintain. Our community is situated beside a state park so we must also abide by their rules when it comes to invasive plants. Within those limits…

Years ago, when I started my writing career, I signed contracts for a number of romance novels. None of those early contracts discussed e-books because e-books were in the future. When asked my publisher graciously agreed I had the right to publish these books as e-books myself, and so far I’ve re-edited, revised and put…

Recently I received several emails in response to my last newsletter complaining that my newly reissued romance, The Unmasking, was only available as an e-book and wasn’t in paper–unless a reader can find the original paperback, which is almost a collector’s item. While I sympathize, and wish I could magically produce books in all formats,…

I’m sitting at my desk in my new writing home. I wish I could tell you it’s the perfect study, soundproof, light-filled, roomy enough for all my books and research material but not the least bit barny. Actually this room is light-filled, because I’m working in the glassed-in porch of our old, old cottage in…

“A writer who waits for ideal conditions under which to work will die without putting a word on paper.” E. B. White Right now I’m sitting in my study listening to a generator in the house about 10 yards behind me. The generator is for the benefit of the roofers who are pounding away outside…

Let me tell you a story. A devoted father takes his four children out for a pontoon boat cruise on one of Florida’s wild and scenic rivers. The oldest son is nearly twelve. The youngest is only 18 months. The trip is lovely, but somewhat uneventful, so he lets the oldest pilot the boat. Then…

I am an unabashed fan of Les Miserables, the show and the movie. I suspect I would like the book, as well, although having picked it up at Books-A-Million yesterday, I realized I would need a camel caravan to carry it home. But Les Mis (and The Christmas Carol) are productions I never miss in…

Unless you’re new here, you already know my husband and I just moved to Happiness Key. . . okay, not “really” but close enough to suit me. We bought a House with a View in Florida, and will never regret it. We look over a narrow marshy waterway alive with birds and, I’m told, occasional…